Extra large bronze vase by Gasen HASEGAWA

HASEGAWA Gasen (1901–1994)

Hasegawa Gasen was a highly distinguished Japanese bronze artist associated with the Yamagata school who established himself as a master of metalwork throughout the 20th century. He earned national acclaim for his technical precision and artistic innovation, with a mastery that was recognized at the highest levels of Japanese art circles. His work was frequently featured in prestigious national exhibitions, most notably the Teiten, which was the Imperial Fine Arts Academy Exhibition, and the Nitten, known as the Japan Fine Arts Exhibition. Gasen’s reputation was further solidified by the fact that his pieces were largely collected by the Japanese Imperial Household, providing a lasting testament to the cultural significance and quality of his craftsmanship.

Hasegawa Gasen was particularly renowned for his ability to produce vibrant, multi-coloured patinas on bronze. While many metalworkers focused on singular tones, he utilized complex chemical processes to achieve a spectrum of colors including reds, browns, yellows, greens, and occasionally rare purples. One of the specialized techniques used to achieve these finishes involved coating the bronze object in oil and rotating it over a smoked rice fire before carefully splashing specific chemicals and acids onto the heated surface to trigger unique oxidation patterns.

He is remembered as a pivotal figure in 20th-century Japanese bronze art. His contributions are documented in significant scholarly works, such as the book ‘Twentieth Century Japanese Bronze Flower Vases’, and his works continue to be preserved in important private holdings like the Becker Collection.